Union Black

Happy happy New Year to you and yours, I wish lots of lovely blessings in the coming months and in the spirit of interconnected'ness lets keep opening up to all things beautiful, big and small where ever we may find them. Isnt there a saying that about great things coming in small packages (or something very similar). At the London College of Fashion, John Princes Street, opposite the cafe.. sorry café. We have a very small display area that makes good use of an other wise dead space.xIt's a glass display cabinet that sits in between an access ramp and a small set of steps leading onto the first floor. On my way in and out of university, I often stop and take a look at this mini exhibition space offering inspiration in bit sized chunks. Now its the turn of Union Black. In the very quite wake that's all but a shimmer, in the sea of Brit culture events remember Kulture2Couture in 2007 and Black British Style (I took part in BBS with Steph my bag designing partner). You wont find us listed on the micro site but we were there! This was back in 2004 nearly 5 years ago, yikes! 'Union Black is showcasing black British talent through the power of fashion, art and music'. I'm looking forward to the series of events running in this programme, this is unconfirmed but it maybe scheduled to start in the spring?xThis is a little taster to wet ye olde palettes. African Textiles by John Gillow miniature dolls house by Yinka Shonibare MBE. Look out for Marc Booth now at B3Media and Jacqui Springer teacher of popular music at Westminister University. I've picked out Marc and Jacqui because I know both of these highly talented individuals and up until Christmas '08 I hadn't spoken to either of them in a ridiculously long time. By the power on of inter-connectivity our paths have once again crossed.

If Yinka Shonibare MBE had a fan club I would join it. Here he is re-dressing English heritage in the icon child's toys the dolls house, adorned with a miniature of the equally iconic English Heritage Blue Plaque. The plaque reads 'Yinka Shonibare artist lives here' with his miniature four poster canopy bed, armchair and footstool upholsteredin his signature medium, traditional Nigerian dutch wax !

I so saw that before i left, too bad dissertation got my mind and i did not get the chance to fully appreciate the works that were presented. Nice work though. By the way, what is Union Black and why am i just hearing about it post-LCF!